Seek Me And Live!

So far we have looked at how our ongoing experience of the tangible presence of God relies on us not living in the past, it relies on us being defenders of the weak, and trusting in his power.  But we can’t just stir these things up in ourselves.  We can’t just stop living in the past because we tell ourselves to.  We can’t just gain a heart for the poor and needy because we think we should and in the midst of our circumstances it isn’t always easy to trust in God’s power just because the preacher tells us to in a sermon.

So how do we make sure those things are genuine in our lives and in the church so that we don’t lose that tangible presence of God that we so value and desire?  Well, through Amos God has told us three times in this passage to, “Seek me and live”.  This is a loving and faithful invitation to closeness, fellowship, and newness of life with God

So how do we seek God and live?  What does it mean to “Seek the Lord”?  Well if you remember Israel was worshipping God in the wrong places; Gilgal, Bethel and Beersheba.  They were also worshipping in the wrong way, through ritual and religion.

God wants us to seek him on his terms and in the ways he has given.  That is through his word and by his Spirit.  As we spend time in the word of God we learn who God is, what God expects from us, what he loves, what he hates, and how God thinks.

How can we expect we grow in our walk with God if we never spend time in his Word?  How can we expect to overcome difficulties and hardships when they come along if we don’t know what God’s word says about those situations?

I know not everybody finds reading easy.  The Bible can be difficult to grasp at times.  But there are some amazingly easy passages to read in scripture that even if you only ever read them you would be greatly blessed.

If you find reading the Bible difficult then be creative in the way you spend time in God’s word.  Get hold of the Bible on Mp3, Use daily reading notes, and download Sermons that have good, quality teaching rooted in the Word of God.

If you’re not finding out who God is through spending quality time in his word then the chances are you’re picking up a view of God contrary to his word.

As well as his word, God has placed his Spirit within us. And it is as we cooperate with the work of the Spirit that we will encounter more of God.  The Spirit helps us because he reveals truth to us, he points us to Jesus, and he convicts us of our sin.

I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but I’ll say it again anyway.  All word and you’ll dry up, all spirit and you’ll blow up, word and spirit and you grow up.  That’s how to seek the Lord and live; by worshipping God as he has revealed himself; through his word and by His Spirit.

Trusting God's Power

Amos 5:1-17 was a challenge to God’s people to stop seeking strength and direction in the same way that the world around them did.  The world was into superstition and ritual.  Amos’ declares “stop worshipping creation and seek the creator who made all things”.

He made the stars, he controls day and night, and he controls the waters and the rain (which is a deliberate scary reminder of how God judged the earth with the flood).  The point being, don’t put your trust in the stars, put your trust in the one who made the stars.

The world’s ways can seem very powerful and can lure us into trusting them.  For example, people believe that, “money makes the world go round”, it seems to have great power and influence and yet we are now in a world where money markets are collapsing.

However powerful and influential worldly things are we must never forget that those things are fragile, temporary and weak!  We mustn’t look to them for strength but “seek the Lord” who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8). 

It means we use money and wealth if we have it, but we don’t rely on it and see it as a gift from God to be used to bring him Glory.

So what are some of the signs that we’re not relying on God but something else? Well our actions demonstrate where our faith lies.  Success does not depend on how much faith we have but on what or whom we’re putting our faith in.

So for example, if our faith is in money (and we don’t have to be rich to be trusting in money or wealth), if it’s money we may struggle with our tithing and find it hard to be generous, cheerful givers. 

Another example would be relying on how others see us for our sense of worth. This can show itself when we continually, even habitually work overly long hours, often at the expense of family life and church life.

There’s nothing wrong with working hard, making money, or gaining promotion at work.  The question we need to ask ourselves is, “am I relying on those things for strength, peace and security?” If we are then the object of our faith cannot help us.

God says, “seek me and live”, seek the one who not only brought the universe into being, but who is actually in control of the running of the universe second by second!

We must continue to demonstrate faith and trust Him in our circumstances.

Defend The Weak (Amos 5:6-7, 10-15)

In verse 7 Israel is condemned for turning “justice to wormwood” and casting down “righteousness to the earth”. Wormwood is a very bitter-tasting plant and so God is saying that they have made justice a bitter experience. Righteousness, which involves doing what’s right in the sight of God, they have just thrown away!

Israel believed that their prosperity as a nation was down to God’s blessing but actually their prosperity and their wealth had come because the rich and wealthy were oppressing the poor.

A bit more detail is given in verses 10-13 where we read that the poor are trampled on and justice goes to the highest bidder.  The gates mentioned in verse 10 and verse 12 were where the old men of the city would sit and decide the cases of those who came to them for justice, but in Israel they were receiving bribes from the wealthy.

A sure sign that the church is genuinely seeking God is its passion for social justice. God is concerned for those who are weak in whatever form that may take. Also, he expects his people, since they have him living in their hearts, to be actively helping and defending such people, even if, or especially if, the one in need is racially or culturally different from us.

It could be minority groups or illegal immigrants.  It could be the poor or the elderly. It could be children, abused women, or even the unborn. 

All these groups are loved by God and in need of the love of Christ to be shared with them.  Not by stuffing a “Why Jesus” booklet into their bag but by ensuring that our own dealings with these people are right in the sight of God, and where necessary, we help them to get justice where they’ve been unfairly treated.

The interesting thing is that “the weak” may not be the same type of people in every place. So we have to ask ourselves, who today does not have enough political and economic power to get justice or food? 

Who are those in our vicinity and in other nations thato need us to fight for them so that they are treated fairly and can receive their basic human needs?

Israel demonstrated that they were far from God because they ignored and even took advantage of the poor and needy.  We mustn’t make the same mistakes.   

Jesus’ very own mission statement at the start of his ministry was to declare, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor; he has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (Luke 4:18-19).

We are the representatives of Jesus Christ on earth.  His mission is our mission and as we continue to seek God for the good of our area he will reveal more of his heart to us so that we can be more effective.

So we must continue to be watchful for circumstances and opportunities where we can fight for justice and righteousness; whether it’s in a small way by helping a neighbour, or in a bigger way through a church initiative.